Box-filler construction



.Nom-21, 1944.-

N. A. PE1-TER BOX-FILLER CONSTRUCTION Fled July 6, 1942 MIM m. PatentedNov., 21, 1944 1 l 4 l 2,363,199* o i NUNITEDsfr/rrEs PATENT. l oFFlcE llBox-FILLERCQNSTRUCTION y rNoel A. `Petter, Los Angeles,` Galli,"-`

Appiicationmys,1942,`serialNo.4i9,s45`1 relents; (creia-31) Thisinvention relates `to` the construction of celltype box-fil1ers.`These-box-fllers are com posed of two sets of strips that have aconguration at their edges thatlenable them to be interlocked with eachother by moving one set of strips transversely to the other set,bothsets oiv strips being` at `the same timeheldin parallel relation,that is to say, one set of parallel strips is interlocked with the othersetof parallel strips fby lateral movement.` i

These box-fillers are used largely in boxes sc as to present a cell typeof structure, that is to say, the ller presents a4 plurality of smallcells or compartments in ,which small articles can be held packed, outofcontact with each other, and

so that they will not be `damaged by shipment.

types of egg boxes. L i

` One of theobjects of the invention is to provide a correlatedconfiguration for the interlock- Similar filler constructions are usedincertain ing edges 0f the two sets of strips, which will enable the crossstrips that extend transversely to the other set of parallel` strips, tobe readily set into receiving slotsor'openings, and there-V` afterquickly `moved into a position which will;

interlock all of the cross stripswith theother strips.. One set of thestrips out of whichthese fillers are constructed, is provided withopenings` o r slots extending into one edge of thestrip and providedwith a throat at each openingor slot through which the cross strips areintroduced in the `process of `interlocking them with the setof` stripscarrying the slotsr `These slots or` opene ings are` formed by means ofcutting dies having knives; and on'e of the objects of this invention,`

is to give the slots oropenings a form, which will enable the cut-outportions of the strips to be readily strippedfrom the bodies ofthestrips after" the Slots or openings have been cut by `the dies.` i

Further objects of` the invention will appear hereinafter.

ready set in position by lateral movement; this View alsoshows dogbarsand dogs for interlocking the cross strips with lche other strips byanfother mov/ement.` l

Fig-3 is a section similar to Fig. 1, and showing the transverse stripsin` their interlocking posi- ,tion withtheother strips. l l l `.Fig 4 isa vertical section taken about on the line-4-,4 of Fig.l1, thati-s,`in1a plane at right with each other.

with equidistant openings 2 spaced along the same edge of these strips,and preferably the upper l edge 3.` Each opening 2 isprovided with athroat 4 leading into thesame from the edge 3, and this throat isdisposed laterally v'vithrespect` to` the` opening 2,. j l l lFurthermore, on the same side oi.` each throat The` invention consistsin the correlated con-` l figuration that I give to the interlockingedges` of the parallel longitudinal strips `and the pari` allel crossstrips, and also in the method I employ for assembling and' interlocking`the strips,

contributing to effect ecient box-filler construci tion.` Y

, A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the followingspecification, while the broadscope of the invention is pointed out inthe appended claims.

`In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan of a complete box-filler embodying my invention. l

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal cross-,section nally with the stripsand `having upwardly prol,

through the box-nner iuustrated in Fig. 1, taken ln a plane parallelwith one set of the strips and showing the transverse strips or crossstrips alrial of thestrip is formed'with an inwardly or downwardlyprojecting spur 5, and onthe side of thisostrip remote from the throat4, `alshallow` upwardly extending recess Slis formed. The portion of theopening 2 opposite to the recessf, is`

formedinto a bottom notch '1 that constitutes a socket, as will appearhereinafter,` and this notch 1 is formedby the intersection ef an irl-lclinededge 8 that extends down from lthe throat 4,; and an inclined edge"9a, that extends down from a lateral recess or `notch 9 at theotherside l edge ofthe openingz- I also provide "a ,second set of`strips I0, and these strips are referred to as transverse strips orcross strips;` Each'of these strips I0 is formed with equidistant pairsof notches including a relof the notch I and forms a portion of thebottom atively large notch IIformedat the interlocking` edge of eachstrip which, in the present instance, is the lower edge; and arelatively shallow' notch "4 throughout the length of the strip, themate` I2 that is formed in theopposite or upper edget `of each strip.

In forming the box-ller, Iprefer to hold the longitudinal or main stripsI in a parallel relation to each other with the slots or openings `2located opposite to each other. `Indong` this, if desired, the loweredges lof the strips may be clamped between bars `I3 extendinglongitudijecting jaws I4 that clamp the loweredges of these strips.After this f'lrst set or main sety of strips are set up in this way, Iintroduce the cross strips II) into place through the throats 4 withtherelatively deep notches I I passing down until they rest on thenotches or sockets 1. The

notches Ill and I2 are, of course, spaced from` each other by an amountlequal to the distance between the main strips I and, furthermore, thewidth of the material of the cross strips between the notches I I andI2, is preferably substantially equal to the length of the edges 8 fromthe bottom of the notch I to the point Where this edge intersects theedge of the throat that is remote from the spur 5. This enables all ofthe cross strips to lie at rest in an inclined position as indicated inFig. 2, after they have been put in place. The cross strips I can thenbe swung into a vertical position, rotating around the socket 'I as anaxis, and in doing this the bottom of each notch I2 will engage itscorresponding spur 5, moving under the same and past the spur so asto-come to rest in the recess or notch 6.\ If desired, thisoperation canbe performed by hand; or by a machine element. In Fig. 2 I haveillustrated a machine element for this purpose, involving the use of aframe having a plurality of longitudinal bars I5 extending parallel withthe strips I and above the same, and .these bars I5 may operate as dogbars having bent fingers or dogs I 6 projecting down from the same andof sufficient length to engage the cross strips near l theirlongitudinal axes; that is, considerably below their upper edges. Thisenables them to buckle slightly when they strike they spurs and passunderrthe same, and over into their vertical locking position.

Thefnotches 'I and I2 are preferably substantiallyof V form. i

Many other embodiments of the invention may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit ofk the invention.

What I claim is:

l. In a box-filler construction composedA of laterally interlockingstrips, the combination of ,a rst set of substantially parallelunattached strips, each strip having avplurality of equidistant openingstherethrough, -each of said openings having a laterally disposed throatleading into the same from the interlocking edge of the strip with aspur at the side of said throat projecting inwardly with a recess in theedge of the opening located at the side of the spur remote 4 'from thethroat, said opening also having an inclined edge extending down fromthe throat at one side of the same and another edge cooperating with thesame to produce a notch forming a socket in alignment with said recess;each of said openings having a lateral recess located between saidfirst-named recess and said lastnamed notch on the same side of thethroat as said spur, and a second set of freely movable unattachedstrips extending transversely to the A first strips having equidistantpairs of notches to v locking, edge, each opening having a spur pro-Ytom notch and said recess into which the secondcooperate with the saidopenings, each of said pairs of notches including a relatively deepinner notch in its interlocking edge and a relatively small notch in itsouter edge, said inclined edge of the opening operating as a guide toguide the edge 0f the relatively deep notch of the transverse strip downinto the socket so that the upper notch will rest in the throat oppositethe spur and be capable of engaging thesame, each of said iirst-namedstrips and its corresponding transverse strip cooperating to enable thetransverse strips to be bulged laterally into the said lateral recesses,thereby enabling the outer edge of each transverse strip to moveunderand past the spur so as to seat in the recess back of the spur.

2. In la, box-filler construction composed `of laterally interlockingstrips, the combination of `a first set of substantially parallelunattached strips, each strip havingv an opening with a throat extendinginto the same at its upper, and interjecting downwardly` at the side ofthe throat with an upwardly extending recess back of the spur, saidopening also having a bottom notchv located remotely from said throatout of alignment with the throat and substantially in alignment withsaid recess; and a set of unattached freely movable cross-stripsextending transverse- 1y to the rst set of stripseach of saidcrossstrips having equidistant pairs of notches, each.

edges of the cross-strips to be introduced through the throats withtheir relatively deep notches resting at the said sockets of the rst setof strips and with the relatively shallow notches located adjacent thesaid spurs, thereby enabling all of the cross-strips to be interlocked`with the iirst set of strips by moving all of the cross-strips at theirupper edges under and pastvsaid spurs; each of said rst-named stripshaving a lateral recess` in its said opening located on the same side ofthe throat as said spur, and between the said botnamed strips can bebulged when interlocking the strips.

NOEL A. PETTER.

